The family of an Indonesian religious scholar who is being detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) are worried about his wellbeing as they have not received any news since his arrest last month.

A spokesperson for human rights group Suaram said yesterday that Mohd Iqbal Abdur Rahman, 43, a permanent resident here, was arrested in Shah Alam on June 30 under Section 73(1) of the ISA.

The section allows the police to detain a person for investigation for a 60-day period.

Following his arrest, it is learnt that police raided Mohd Iqbal's house in Ampang and seized several religious paraphernalia, including video compact discs (VCDs) and books.

The police have yet to disclose the reasons behind the arrest.

His wives, Fatimah Zahrah Abdul Aziz and Titik Luwu @ Aisyah Kadarigi, had sent a letter (dated July 9) to the director of the police special branch unit, requesting information on the whereabouts of their husband.

One of the wives said the police had told her that Mohd Iqbal was in good health and was being detained for investigations, but they refused to divulge any other information.

Respected scholar

A family friend when contacted by malaysiakini today said that Mohd Iqbal is a respected religious scholar who was regularly invited to give talks and lectures in several countries.

The friend who declined to be named said that Mohd Iqbal had studied in Afghanistan and Mecca, and had always preached about how violence was against the teachings of Islam.

"The ustaz and his students are Sunni Muslims," she said, adding that they did not preach or adhere to any deviant teachings.

Last Saturday, Berita Harian quoted Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai as saying that religious extremists who want to set up an Islamic state in Malaysia through militant means were using the service of Indonesian preachers to "inflame the spirit of jihad ".